Why French women are thin

[chicchantal]

1. they are all on a diet, all the time
2. they have fabulous clothes to wear, what an incentive
3. they wear flat shoes and walk everywhere
4. there are steps all over the place esp in Paris, and where there are no steps there are hills
5. they know it's not elegant to eat chocolate in public
6. they spend a fortunte on creams to make them mince
7. have you SEEN how yummy French guys are? What an incentive (2)
8. they know nobody will love them if they put on weight
9. can't think of number 9, you'll have to help me out
10. most important of all, if they put on weight, people will think they are English. Gahh!

[annettecinca]

Very funny, Chic!

I'll take a shot at #9: All that second-hand smoke makes them lose their appetite

[cigalechanta]

sorry lots wear high heels and eat chocolate, they just do not eat as large portions as we(usa) do and don't eat in betwen meals. Their secret is confidence.

[Anne]

I am always baffled when I read about French women being thin, and I've read it a lot . Ok, there are a lot less obese women than in the USA for example, but apart from that you have all type of women here, thin, medium, fat ...

No, most of us are not on a diet at all, but it is very true that we don't snack .

[geordy]

I think the muscle training over the years to wear the high heels sucessfully with all the different stone surfaces and such burns calories too!

[mossie]

Todays entry here could assist you
www.parisdailyphoto.com/
I would recommend the site anyway

[denise]

"http://www.parisdailyphoto.com/
I would recommend the site anyway[/quote]"

Great website mossie thanks.

On French women being thin...I observed that they are not really thin they just have "attitude"
They come in all shapes and sizes but I did not see many obese women.
Mind you all those metro steps and cycling...I'll bet it helps the heart desease statistics!

Denise
Love from England

[sunshine817]

Anne, you're not included in this, but as you head south -- and east toward the (modern) borders with Germany and Switzerland, the women are built far more sturdily -- and I feel far less like an Amazon -- my ancestry is German and Swiss, so the further to the east, the more I feel like I fit in!

Not obese, as mentioned -- but a tendency toward my favourite desription -- a bit Rubenesque!

[mossie]

Aaaah Rubenesque. A lovely term.
When I was younger I lived by the little saying

"I like my girls built for comfort,
Not speed"

[chicchantal]

During five days in Paris the only women I saw who were fatter than me were tourists.

This made me sad.

[Anne]

Aug 12, 2008 13:00:52 GMT -5 sunshine817 said:

east toward the (modern) borders with Germany and Switzerland, the women are built far more sturdily

That is very true Sunshine .
I remember there was a study a few years ago comparing women in the Strasbourg and in the Toulouse areas, and it appears that Alsacian women are significantly taller and fatter than the ones from the S.W. This must be due partly to some German genes, especially as far as the size is concerned, but the weight thing is also definetly due to the German-influenced diet (lots of pork-based food for example) . This diet also accounts for a lower life expectancy .

[Megan]

Aug 13, 2008 3:01:18 GMT -5 Anne said:

Aug 12, 2008 13:00:52 GMT -5 sunshine817 said:

east toward the (modern) borders with Germany and Switzerland, the women are built far more sturdily

Not sure what happened with the quote but was supposed to be

it appears that Alsacian women are significantly taller and fatter than the ones from the S.W. This must be due partly to some German genes, especially as far as the size is concerned,

I was doomed by genetics then - and combined with polymesian genes I was a weight disaster waiting to happen !!!!! NOT FAIR

[Shoesy]

Megan - I don't know how you see yourself, but as far as I'm concerned, you're an adorable young lady with a fantastic smile, and you're a very fortunate individual who is about to set out on an adventure of a lifetime. You're anything but "doomed", my dear.

[Megan]

Thankyou Shoesy - you are LOVELY !!!!!

[sunshine817]

I honestly wasn't trying to get around "fatter" - because I honestly don't believe that's the case -- but Germanic heritage gives us girls broader shoulders, wider hips, and just more curves in general.

For the most part, I have a very difficult time with clothing in France, because French women tend to be more slenderly built - not skinny, just the basic body shape is different at the skeletal level. In Germany and England, however, I generally can wear clothing off the rack.

It took me a long time to get to this but, Megan, you are what you are -- if you're curvy and gorgeous, then run with it! Part of the beauty of a beautiful woman is being comfortable in your own skin and making the most of what YOU have, not what some glossy magazine says you should.

[Megan]

Oh I agree sunshine - my comment was really tongue in cheek to Anne as I discovered that in 1865 or some many many years ago the first know ancestor of mine was from Alsace who are as Anne reports are heavier so was really having a joke

I am too old now to worry about what I am - as long as I feel healthy thats all that matters - at the momemt tho I have not been looking after myself that well with all the rushing about I have been doing so will sort that !

Cheers

M

[Anne]

Anyway Megan, these are statistics, average figures, OK ?

[ray]

I agree with Denise. I think French women have a certain elan in the way they carry themselves, that trumps size.

[cigalechanta]

They also don't have elevators(most) might walk up several floors, several tims a day.
My French friends, those who do not live in Paris are bigger, weigh more than those in Paris.